Monster Falls: Not Your Typical Summer
by Curious Pines
Summary: Dipper and Mabel are back! Another summer has rolled around and the twins are anxious for some adventure and catching up with friends. But one fateful discovery turns their plans a little topsy-turvy. disclaimer: I of course don't own Gravity Falls. I just want some fan-fic for my art.
1. Chapter 1, An Unsettling Discovery

**Chapter 1: Dipper's POV**

Today, Dipper didn't take his usual route. Normally he would go out, pass through town, head to the woods, pass the old tree bunker, and wander his way back to the shack, reading Journal 3 and adding notes the whole way so he hardly felt his feet aching. But today something told him to go a different way.

When Dipper passed the town and went into the forest he veered to the right of the tree bunker, shuddering at his memory of last summer when he was attacked by the shape shifter. He couldn't help wondering if it was still down there, though, frozen in his form. He hoped no one freed it thinking it was actually him. He shook his head, clearing away his dread, and kept walking. He also walked past the gnome hollow where Mabel had been abducted to by her first boyfriend, who was actually a bunch of those little bearded jerks at the start of the other summer. Will I ever be able to walk these woods without nostalgia? But Dipper kept walking, especially since a few of the gnomes were starting to peek out at him and they probably wouldn't be too happy to see him stick around.

Despite his unnerving memories as he walked through the woods, Dipper kept going and didn't stop until he reached the waterfall. The water cascaded down as always. There was nothing out of the ordinary that seemed to be happening. So why was his internal radar beeping of the hook? Scanning the water surface, nothing seemed to be going on. It was just a peaceful summer day. But when he searched the cliff face, he noticed something he had never seen before. There was a small tunnel just big enough for two people at once. Even from there he could hear the sound of water echoing inside, though the tunnel was too high for the fall's waters to reach. When he noticed it, his heart pounded faster. This was what he was looking for. He just knew it!

Running across the shore, Dipper reached the cliff side in no time. He climbed a few rocks until he reached the tunnel and slipped inside, though he didn't realize that as he went inside, the compass he had packed in his backpack had fallen out and now lay on the rocks just outside the tunnel.

Even just on his own in the tunnel, the space was cramped. The ceiling and walls were wet and Dipper slipped and fell on his butt more than once. After walking for a while, he considered going back. It appeared to be a dead-end tunnel to nowhere. But just when he was about to give up, the movement of around him changed. Gingerly, he stretched out, but he didn't bump into the tunnel walls. Something told him he was now in a large cavern. But the place was almost pitch black. He could barely see his hands right in front of his face. The only thing to see was the occasional gleam of wet stones in the shadows.

Even though he couldn't see where exactly he was headed, Dipper started exploring. But after just a few seconds of walking, he slipped in a puddle. A few different things happened at once. Dipper's backpack fell off and he heard it bump into a wall. The sudden realization that he should have taken out his flashlight while he still had it came too late, like something had willed him to forget. He felt himself sliding into the darkness at top speed when suddenly… Splash! Dipper fell into a river.

At first he couldn't get his bearings. The thought he would drown there sent his heart racing. But Dipper forced himself calm. He used the trick Ford had taught him last summer. He kept calm and his heart beat steadier. Stretching out his legs, Dipper felt the bottom of the river come in contact with his sneakers. He pushed off and within moments he surfaced, gasping for air. Though at that point the only thought in his mind was: _It's gonna be a long, soggy walk home_.

Clambering out of the water, he was thankful he hadn't been wearing his backpack. If it had fallen in, it would have been hopelessly soaked, and it currently contained Journal 3, as well as a journal of his own. His Gruncles had given him a blank journal to write in for last Christmas, only his was blue. He had put a gold pine tree in the middle like Ford's gold six-fingered hand on his journals.

As Dipper got out, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomache. Something told him he had read about this river before, but right then his only worries were getting home, getting dry, and forgetting what had just happened.

 **A/N:** Hey, guys! First of all, thanks for reading my first chapter-An Unsettling Discovery. This is also my first ever story. I'll try to update daily, but if I can't, don't worry, the chapter is just late. And in case you're wondering, yes, I am going to include Stan and Ford in this. I can't just leave them out, now, can I? I will also have codes at the end. Number-to-letters, 3 letters back, and backwards. First to solve and post it gets a shout out in the next chapter.

Nehw sretsnom esir, dna Ytivarg Sllaf, sterces era dehsaelnu.

 **Hint:** backwards

Good luck, and good exploring,

~Curious Pines


	2. Ch 2, Return of the Grunkles

_**Chapter 2: Dipper's POV**_

 _Dipper was in the attic on his bed, reading through his latest journal entry, when he heard Soos downstairs._

 _"_ _Hey, Mr. Pineses!" Dipper jumped. What were they doing here? He had thought they were sailing in some uncharted ocean. He abandoned his journal on the bed and ran down to the gift shop. The door was shut and the sign read CLOSED. He frowned, because the gift shop was never closed. Then he noticed why. Soos was looking up at the speakers for the intercom and he appeared to be… talking to it?_

 _"_ _What's up, Soos? How's the shack?" Stan's voice came from the intercom, and Dipper realized it was just a call. Mabel was there, too, spinning on top of the globe that sat on the counter. Melody was behind it, laughing as she watched Mabel spin. Melody was working as the new handy-woman since Soos was now Mr. Mystery._

 _"_ _It's great, Mr. Pines." Soos replied. "I fixed the place up and there's even a statue of you!" he was clearly pleased with his job. And it was true, of course. He had refinished the floors and walls and fixed that pesky "S" in "shack." The place was running smoothly under his management._

 _"_ _That's great to hear, Soos. So how are Dipper and Mabel?" Ford asked. Dipper thought he heard a hint of worry in his Grunkle's voice._

 _"_ _We're doing awesome, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel announced as she spun. When Ford spoke next, there was a hint of refrain in his voice, and Dipper remembered how he liked to correct peoples' grammar. He was clearly having a hard time not correcting her._

 _"_ _That's… great." He said. "So, we're coming to visit Gravity Falls. We'll be there in a couple of days."_

 _Dipper almost screamed from excitement. "Awesome!" He managed. He ran upstairs and jumped up and down on his bead a few times, then ran back down._

 _When he got there, Mabel was talking about how boring it was in Gravity Falls that year and that she had only encountered two monsters since the twins had arrived a week and a half ago. When she was done, she went back to spinning on the globe._

 _"_ _Er, hey. Dipper, here." Dipper said awkwardly._

 _"_ _Oh! Dipper! You'll love the notes I have about our discoveries. I can't wait to show you." Said Ford. Dipper smiled a little at that._

 _"_ _I can't wait to see them!" He said. "I have some notes of my own that I put in that journal you guys got me. I think you might like what I've got so far." Dipper felt giddy with excitement. Ford and Stan were coming and they had new discoveries they wanted to share with him! Could this get any better? "Uh, I'd also like to talk to you about something I found by the falls. You might be able to help me figure it out, Ford."_

 _Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Ford tone became hard. "Of course, Dipper."_

 _Dipper was hurt by his sudden change of heart, but before he could apologize, Stan cut in. "Hey, we're coming up on the harbor in an hour or so here and the water is getting choppy. We're gonna have to let you go here. We'll call when we're close. See you when we get back!" The line went dead._

 _Dipper sat in the window sill and sighed. Had he upset Ford? Did he say something wrong? Had he insulted him? Apparently no one else felt that way. Soos was jumping up and down like a little kid, clearly excited to be seeing Stan again. Meanwhile, Mabel's cheeks puffed out and she leaped of the globe, dashing for the nearest bathroom._

 _"_ _Why did I eat all those Gummy Koalas before I started spinning?" She groaned as she lunged for the bathroom and slammed the door. Melody looked like she was about to explode. She clutched her ribs and her eyes watered._

 _"_ _Because we dared you!" She laughed._

 _Dipper ignored the celebration happening in the gift shop and trudged up the stairs, somberly. Something told him that this visit wasn't going to be on good terms._

 _ **A/N:**_ _ooh! Things are getting exciting! Notice how Ford reacted to Dipper mentioning that find by the falls. Just so you guys know, the end of this AU will be the introduction for another fan-fic I'm planning, so pay close attention! It has a deeper sub-plot. Now just to clarify, this specific fan-fic is still rated K+, but the other that it conceals isn't. The actual other fan-fic plot however is not officially suggested or reveals it's rating, so it still works. Crack the code first for a shout-out. (And from this point on, the codes will connect into one big code, so try to crack them all)_

 _6-15-18-4 8-15-12-4-19 20-8-5 11-5-25-19,_

 _19-15 4-15 15-21-18 4-5-13-15-14-19._

 _Good luck and good exploring_

 _~Curious Pines_


	3. Chapter 3, Conversing Secrets

_**Chapter 3: Elder Pines' POV**_

 _ **A/N:**_ _shout out to Furious Pines for solving the last code!_

 _In case you missed it, check the reviews. It'll be posted there._

 _Here's her page link u/8403799/Furious-Pines_

 _Ford paced the docks. He flipped through his notes that he had collected and glared at the pages while Stan tried to reassure him._

 _"_ _Don't worry, man, Gravity Falls will be okay!" he insisted._

 _"_ _No. Not if what Dipper mentioned about the falls means what I think it means." Ford snapped. He flipped to a page about the zodiac._

 _Stan hesitated. He looked at his brother with a glint of worry in his eyes. "And… what would that be?" He asked, not sure he wanted an answer._

 _Ford stopped in his tracks and turned, giving him that serious look of his. The look that he used to warn Stan of something serious and potentially life-threatening that he didn't want to know about._

 _"_ _Right." Said Stan. He sat on a nearby bench and sighed. Ford knew he should tell someone of his worries, and Stanley of all people would be best, but…_

 _"_ _Listen, if I'm correct, Dipper has discovered something of a rare occurrence. A rip that appears in a seemingly random pattern throughout history. I found it when I was studying Gravity Falls myself, and it never brings good things. There is a curse that hangs over this discovery that may have something to do with Bill, and if this thing has appeared to him, it means Bill may still be out there. But if we can get there and stop the curse in time, maybe we can keep from a second Weirdmaggedon." Ford explained. "Satisfied?" he asked._

 _Stan considered this. "Is that a trick question?" He finally replied. This time it was Ford's turn to sigh. He wasn't sure if it was or not, to be completely honest._

 _"_ _That's beside the point, Stanley. There is a threat being made to the saneness and stability of Gravity Falls, and if the town crumbles, so will the world as we know it." He stated grimly as he went back to pacing and reading over his notes._

 _"_ _Gee, thanks for the confidence boost. You're a real ray of sunshine, you know that?" Stan said sarcastically. Ford opened his mouth for a stinging retort, but Stan spoke first. "So, are we going to the airport or not?"_

 _Ford hesitated. "Eh, not." He said._

 _"_ _What? Why not?" Stan whined._

 _"_ _I may or may not be on the no-fly list." He admitted._

 _Stan groaned and pinched the bride of his nose. "What did you do?"_

 _"_ _I got aggravated with an annoying passenger and while I was putting away a ray gun experiment, he bumped into me, making my finger slipped on the trigger. Yeah, it was a defective thing I was trying to fix so it would make food grow faster, but at the time it only made people throw up…" Ford rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away, a look of embarrassment on his face._

 _Stan burst out laughing at this. "I can't believe it! Ford Pines, my dorky brother, made a puke ray! Gosh, you're one stupid genius sometimes, you know that Ford-sy?" He snorted. Ford's eye twitched. "If we can't fly 'cause of you, at least it was for that reason, eh? Alright. Now, let's go rent a car and take a road trip from Florida to Oregon!"_

 _ **A/N:**_ _figured I would add a chapter with Ford and Stan's progress. Did you like my puke ray touch? I figured it would be a good way to lighten the mood. A food grower ray makes someone barf… that's kinda scientific right? Makes some sense? Anyway, I wanted to add a more suspenseful hint to the theme of the Monster Falls AU. That's why I have all this mysterious deeper-meaning junk in there. As usual, first to crack the code gets a shout out!_

 _4-9-13-5-14-19-9-15-14-19 2-1-18-5 20-8-5 4-15-15-18-19,_

 _19-5-3-18-5-20-19 11-5-5-16 20-8-5-13 7-21-1-18-4-5-4_


End file.
